The present invention relates to a method for handling and further processing a continuously produced, unstretched honeycomb band and to an apparatus for carrying out this method.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,257,253 discloses production of a continuous, stretched honeycomb band which, during its stretching operation, is continuously laminated on its top and bottom sides with a continuous paper layer.
It is also known for metal and board honeycombs to be delivered and processed unstretched, or alternatively stretched, in the form of blocks. On the basis of the conventional production methods for unstretched honeycombs, this results in sheeting blocks having a thickness of between about 2 cm and 15 cm, from which strips of the desired honeycomb height can be cut as required. Depending on the thickness of the sheeting block and the cell diameter, this produces stretched honeycombs between 1 and 10 m in length. These stretching machines operate in cycles and have to be designed for the maximum honeycomb length. This entails a very large space requirement. The transport and storage volumes for these stretched honeycombs are large; the handling of the stretched honeycombs is relatively expensive. In order to avoid local destruction of the stretched honeycombs as a result of external effects during transport and storage, large-area interlayers have to be incorporated. Stretched honeycombs have a large surface area liable to corrosion or contamination with dust and moisture, which can result in the costly material deteriorating in quality or even becoming valueless as a result of improper storage.